Page 70 - May-June-July Life In Naples Magazine

2015 Baker Park Gala
INFUSES SOME FUN INTO NAPLES
70
Dby Kelly Merritt
ozens of charitable events, people
dressed to the hilt, the auction of
gazillion dollar luxury cars and a
giant bottle of wine no one will ever
drink. Then, omnipresent back patting and
requisite chicken and filet typically complete the
fundraising season in Naples. The exception is
the Baker Park Gala to benefit the project that’s
become like the David and Goliath of public-
private projects in the area.
Among the reasons that the Baker Park Gala
stood out this year once again as a totally unique
event – the spirit of the people who believe in
the park and what it stands for. It’s really not
about land or engineering or money. It’s about
ice cream on a hot day, a ride on a carousel. It’s
about having freedom to roam around, relaxing
at a reading table before grabbing a bite at the
café. It about toddlers getting so tired from a
day at Baker Park that they fall asleep in the
car on the short drive home. It’s about making
memories with children and grandchildren and
each other, or by oneself on a reflective stroll with
the river in view.
Baker Park is already a happy place because
it’s the People’s Park – designed by the people of
Naples for the people of Naples and anyone else
who desires to partake of what the park offers.
This jovial spirit infused a fun quotient in the
Baker Park Gala.
While Prelude to a Park 2 was upscale, it had
a new star of the show this year in the spectacular
carousel organizer Delores Sorey found to place
on the site just for the gala and Amy Saad’s
family day the next day. The carousel served as
a reminder of a time when the best things in
life happened in a park, when being a kid meant
getting outside and doing something fun that
didn’t include a smart phone.
Prelude to a Park 2 benefited Baker Park and
it was as billed – a ‘Magical Evening under the
Stars and the Glow of a Full Moon’.The reception
was followed by dinner along Riverside Circle
during which attendees were introduced to the
new Baker Park and Honorary Chairs, Patty and
Jay Baker. They viewed an updated master plan
of the Park and participated in a live auction
before dancing the night away to the music of
Joe Marino & All the King’s Men.
Life in Naples | May • June • July 2015